


Good Luck Charm

by rins_rambles



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, One Shot, Pre-Season/Series 01, angst at the end, based on the credit pictures, finally got ethari's name so off to editing i go, i will change tinker's name after season 4 airs, tinker and rayla bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 17:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21461455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rins_rambles/pseuds/rins_rambles
Summary: The last conversation the two shared between Ethari and his family, before Runaan and Rayla begin preparations for Katolis.
Relationships: Rayla & Ethari (The Dragon Prince), Rayla & Tinker | Necklace Elf (The Dragon Prince), Runaan/Ethari (The Dragon Prince), Runaan/Tinker | Necklace Elf (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	Good Luck Charm

In the small forest area outside of the Moonshadow elves where the warriors would train, Runaan watched over Rayla as she practiced all of the forms he had taught her over the years. She was chosen to go alongside him and the other assassins for an upcoming mission given to them by the Dragon Queen herself. Rayla was more than ready skill wise, but he had to make sure her resolve was just as strong.

“Focus on your form, Rayla. You must always be aware of your surroundings and your foes,” Runaan instructed as he watched Rayla swing around her practice swords out in the forest. “Never let your guard down.”

“I know, Runaan,” Rayla muttered under her breath as her brow was pinched tight in concentration.

They both startled when they heard some rustling coming from the brush and as Runaan knocked an arrow in his silver bow, Rayla held both of her swords up ready for a fight.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Rayla demanded.

As the rustling got closer, two tanned hands were held up in surrender from the foliage.

“Don’t attack!” Ethari said as he poked his head out with a sheepish grin on his face and a bag slung over his left shoulder. “Friendly elf here.”

“Ethari!”

Rayla squealed excitedly as she dropped her weapons and ran up to hug the other Moonshadow elf. He stumbled at the sudden weight but managed to hug the young elf back.

“I thought you were going to be working for the entire day?”

“Well, I have a surprise for you, and I couldn’t wait to show it off.”

Runaan lowered his bow and sighed. He rarely got to see Kai during normal hours since the two of them were busy, but he also felt that Ethari had been purposefully avoiding him as of late.

“You know Rayla needs this time to train for the mission ahead of us.”

“A break won’t hurt her,” Ethari reasoned as he moved his head away to avoid Rayla’s horns. “Besides, I needed to get your opinions on the new weapons that came in for you two.”

“I want to see!” Rayala exclaimed excitedly, but one look at Runaan’s stern face made her drop that expression a bit. “I mean, if you can show it to us now, that would be great.”

“Let’s have a look,” Runaan said as he walked over to the bag Ethari had slung off of his shoulder and placed onto the ground.

Runaan and Rayla looked at Ethari expectantly. Although Rayla looked more like a child too eager to stand still as Ethari slowly unclasped the bag. He fished a hand inside and grasped onto the new weapons the two of them had asked for.

“Rayla, I know you said you wanted some extra features for your dual blades, so I tinkered with them a bit.”

Ethari pulled out what seemed like two large folded hilts with the Moonshadow elves colors that were almost the length of his arm. Rayla looked at it curiously as she waited for him to demonstrate. Ethari either pressed a button or something else entirely, but the blade sprung out of the sheath which Rayla hummed appreciatively at. The luster for the blade looked like it was really good quality and could easily slice through whatever Rayla needed. The scimitar shape would allow her to slash at her opponents easier, and she would most certainly appreciate details of the lines engraved into the metal.

“We managed to get some wonderful steel from the Sunfire elves, and I also added this.”

Ethari flipped the blade back in and with another click sound a hook appeared. Rayla’s eyes widened with excitement as she looked ready to yank the weapon out of Ethari’s hand.

“I know how much you climb and jump around those trees,” Ethari grinned. “This could come in handy for that and other things.”

“I can’t believe you managed to help make this!” The young elf squealed in delight as Ethari flipped the blade back into its sheath before grabbing its sibling and handing them to Rayla.

“Try them out for yourself.”

Rayla gently took her new weapons into her hands as she weighed them and twirled them on her palms. Her eyes stayed focus on the handles as it spun around and then she experimentally flipped the blades out. She tilted the blades this way and that, no doubt admiring whatever handiwork Ethari had into creating these blades for her.

“They were built with a lot of patience and care, treat them like extensions of yourself.” Runaan added with his usual stern expression.

“How does it feel? Is the weight good?” Ethari asked expectantly.

The two elder Moonshadow elves watched Rayla experimentally twirled the swords once more before slashing at the air. Then following it up with a few jabs and strikes. When she seemed satisfied, she put the blades away and smiled widely at Ethari.

“They’re perfect, thank you.” She looked a bit sheepishly at Runaan as she anxiously bounced on her feet. “D’you think I could go over there and practice some more? Just so I get a feel for it?”

Runaan looked between his student and Ethari who both were sharing pleading, almost doe-eyed expressions and he sighed as he gave in.

“You may go, but remember that we’ll continue our training tomorrow with your weapons.”

“Thank you!” Rayla responded as she almost rushed off to the nearest tree just to test out her new tools.

“Rayla wait!” Ethari yelled as he stretched out his hand to stop her.

She halted in her tracks as she looked over her shoulders, her lips pouting out in impatience.

“Just let me do your braid for you. It fell out.”

Rayla took a moment to consider this before she acquiesced and sat on a large rock nearby.

The young elf watched as Ethari whispered something to Runaan holding up two fingers before walking over to her. She sat quietly as he carded his fingers through her hair, untangling the knots, wondering if all his years spent crafting weapons and charms made this so easy for him. But as a few more moments passed by, she started getting antsy and the quietness was getting to her.

“How does Runaan think?” She blurted out, but it was a question that had been running around in her mind as the days for the mission drew closer.

“Are you trying to get some tips from me so you can defeat him in combat someday?” Ethari teased as he seemed to finally get rid of that one stubborn knot in her hair he’d been working at. “You’ll have to tempt me with something more than that.”

“No, you know what I mean,” she decided to tap her foot onto the ground to hide the bit of turmoil and nervousness she felt. “It’s just sometimes I can’t tell what he’s thinking. It always feels like he wants me to keep on training and training.”

“That’s just how he is. I know he can look stern and grumpy sometimes-”

“How about all the time?” Rayla muttered followed with a pout.

“But Runaan cares for you. He trusts you to be a great warrior he knows you can be.”

Those words warmed Rayla up a bit as Ethari finally started to braid. As she felt him work, the tone in his voice became concerned and quiet. She didn’t usually hear him take this tone unless she was injured doing something she shouldn’t have, or when he knew they were going into something dangerous.

“Rayla, you don’t have to go on this mission.”

She tried not to turn her head in bewilderment at Ethari’s words, but she mulled them over briefly before speaking up.

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s a mission to take down that stupid human king who killed our king.”

Rayla remembered hearing stories about the terrifying and powerful Dragon King. How he was brought down by a human spear. Rumors had it that it was likely enchanted with dark magic or else their king would still have been alive today. Still alive with his queen and newborn son.

Rayla’s blood seethed at the thought of some humans using dark magic to kill the Dragon King, it was despicable.

“What I’m trying to say is, Rayla… Not everyone is meant to fight. We can contribute in our own ways to find the solution to our situation. Not everything can be solved by wielding weapons in the name of Xadia.”

Ethari seemed to be trying to drag out this conversation for as long as he could as he slowly braided a lock of Rayla’s hair. Rayla however, had nothing else to add as she waited for him to finish his task .

“There is nothing wrong with showing kindness to the enemies if they’ve done nothing to hurt you.”

She could feel the pleading and desperation in his voice, making her heart became a bit heavier. Despite aiding in forging their weapons, Rayla knew that Ethari was a kind and gentle spirit. While he wouldn’t voice it aloud to his Moonshadow brethren, he did make it known to Rayla and Runaan how much he did not agree with the idea of them going after the King of Katolis. But it wasn’t going to change her mind.

“Runaan says to never show the enemies mercy,” Rayla said simply as she glanced over to see how far into the braid Ethari was.

“I know Rayla, but the world isn’t entirely black and white,” Ethari sighed as his fingers worked on the last bits of her hair. “If things were so simple, perhaps we wouldn’t have had a war to begin with.”

“If only...” Rayla agreed as Ethari finally fastened the hair-tie to the bottom of her braid.

Ethari then placed a hand on her shoulder and Rayla turned to look up at him with her purple eyes. She could see the worry in his eyes as his lips pursed tightly before he spoke.

“Please promise me something. If you must go on these missions, if killing someone doesn’t feel right, you don’t have to do it.”

Rayla as her face scrunched into one of determination. She wouldn’t turn down something like this, a great mission of this caliber. If Runaan trusted her to join his team, then she felt she had to see it through until the end.

“I can do it, Ethari. I’m more than ready.”

Ethari looked at the young moon-shadow elf who he had watched alongside Runaan grow and gain confidence in her skills. A young girl he raised as if she were his own. He didn’t doubt that if Rayla decided to be an assassin, she would be more than qualified for it. However, he could also sense the bit of doubt in that conviction, although he wouldn’t bring it up to Rayla. He knows Runaan can feel it too, but he’d rather Rayla be the one to sort it out herself than call her out on it. Ethari let out a defeated sigh as he tucked the braid behind her ear, although he wondered how long that would last.

“I know you are. I just want you to know that when the time comes, you can make your own choices on the outcome.”

There was a slight hesitancy in Rayla’s face as she digested Kai’s words, but quickly changed into excitement as she turned to Runaan.

“I’m gonna go test the hooks out on the trees!”

“Be sure to watch yourself,” Runaan replied as he nodded for her to go ahead. “Keep your grip tight on the handles when you swing.”

“See you!” Rayla said as she ran up the trunk of a nearby tree and used her hooks to grab onto a branch and flipping herself up onto them.

The older elves watched as her face brightened and she giggled to herself as she crouched low and propelled herself into the air and onto the next tree. Her body moved lithely through each of the branches that she could grab as she vaulted herself up into the air and onto the next one. As Rayla’s form disappeared amongst the green foliage it left Ethari and Runaan alone with each other.

Ethari leaned down to his bag that he had dropped earlier as Runaan frowned above him with his arms crossed disapprovingly.

“You’re making her soft.”

“I’m making her see that she has options,” Ethari replied as he reached in for Runaan’s weapon. “Just as you have the option of not going.”

“If the queen commands it, we will obey. You know I was tasked to lead this mission for a reason, and the humans must pay in kind for what they’ve done.”

Ethari’s expression soured as his hand grasped the cool metal and pulled it out. As he did one last inspection he then held it out for Runaan to see.

“You have the bow form for long-range. For close quarters, we’ve managed to also turn it into two blades if you twist the grips like so.”

Ethari demonstrated as he twisted the bow and it turned into two blades in his hands. He did a simple twirl with the weapons before handing it over to Runaan. He practiced a few twirls and jabs of his own before he was satisfied and clicked the two pieces back together to reform its bow shape. This was exactly what he needed for the mission ahead.

“Let me know if the grip or the weight needs to be changed,” Ethari’s tone was entirely different from the one he gave to Rayla when asking that question. “Also be sure to check the bowstring so it doesn’t begin to fray.”

Runaan hummed to himself as he weighed the bow in his hand, and testing its grip. Then he looked up at Ethari’s solemn face and placed one of his gloved hands onto his cheek.

“What worries you?”

Ethari looked at Runaan in the eyes, but quickly averted them as if he were afraid Runaan would read his thoughts.

“Ethari, you’ve been avoiding me for days now. Could you tell me what’s bothering you?”

Ethari exhaled through his nose as he placed his own hand on top of Runaan’s.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this mission you’re being sent on. It’s not just because it stands for something I don’t approve of. I don’t… I believe the situation must be dire if the queen wants you to lead it.”

“That’s exactly why I must go. For our people, for Xadia,” Runaan said, trying to be as comforting to Kai as he could be.

“Our people are many, but there is only one of you in this whole world.”

Ethari gently rested his forehead against Runaan’s, as if trying to reach out for any form of comfort he could with the little time they had left. It was him preparing himself for a farewell that he did not wish to say aloud. Runaan placed his hand behind Ethari’s neck, running his thumb across his skin reassuringly.

“We will return safely, you have no need to worry.”

“I know, I know, “my heart for Xadia”. But I will just continue to worry for my husband.”

Ethari solemnly dropped his hand from Runaan’s. Runaan watched his lover close his eyes as he mulled over his thoughts. It was true he couldn’t guarantee his safety for something as dangerous as this. The humans would be wary and ready. Rumors of the dark mage in Katolis gave him some pause. He knew deep down not all of them would be coming out alive if that were the case.

Runaan watched curiously as Ethari began to sift through his pockets, grabbing something and then wrapping it around Runaan’s neck. He looked down to see a metal chord holding a thin purple stone with a small silver engraving holding it together.

“A good luck charm, for the both of us.”

Ethari reached for his own neck and pulled out a necklace of his own that was hidden by his clothes.

“I infused it with illusion magic from a moon opal. If you have nowhere else to hide, just break the crystal and it will do the rest.”

Runaan couldn’t help but smile as he held the crystal in his hand. As much as Ethari helped out in the forge, he always thought he specialized in making small trinkets than weapons. He grasped it tightly as he looked at Ethari once more.

“May it give us both the strength we need for the path ahead.”

Ethari slowly leaned forward to gently press his lips against Runaan’s, placing his hand over his fist. Runaan returned the kiss, and they stood like that for a few moments. After Ethari moved away, the worry in his eyes hadn’t fully disappeared, but Runaan could tell that he felt a little more reassured.

“I only hope you don’t actually have to use it,” Ethari said, as if exclaiming his thoughts aloud would make it come true. “Keep each other safe.”

“We will both return to you safe and sound once this mission is over. I promise you that if Rayla cannot execute her tasks, I will keep her out of the fight.”

“You heard the whole thing?”

“Bits and pieces. It’s not hard to figure out what you’re talking about with her.”

Ethari laughed under his breath.

“I’ll hold you up to that promise.”

That was the last conversation Runaan and Ethari shared as they each became occupied with their respective tasks. It was maybe a month or two later when Ethari was staring down at the pond where he had created jeweled flowers that linked themselves to Runaan and Rayla. When he saw all but one of the flowers sink deeper into the pond, he couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down his eyes as his body slumped heavily against the cold stone.

His own identical necklace started to hang heavily across his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Really rushed this one out before S3 airs in less than a week. Really excited to get new information on so many characters especially Tinker elf. I just really need his name and I'll change it after season 3  
EDIT: His name has been spoken. The whole Tinker tag better follow up


End file.
